Intertwining Leaves
by DahliaStarr
Summary: Hope was the only thing that kept him sane. And he was doing alright for a while. But then she came along. And even though her pelt was as black as the shadows, she was the bright light at the end of his tunnel. Two cats, one promise. But it was never meant to be.


**So, this idea has been growing in my head for a while and I decided to finally put it on paper! Er…Microsoft Word. Yes, lovely followers, I know I'm in the middle of Echoes of a Whisper but I just needed to write this little drabble of one of my favorite pairings as a break. Do not fear! The next chapter of that story will be up soon. **

**Love it, hate, or just wanna strangle me for writing it? Why not tell me in a review? :3 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own warriors. If I did, these two would've ended up together along with JayXHalf. (:**

Fallen Leaves was never one to dwell on the many negatives that life ever so kindly forced upon his shoulders. After finally accepting the fact that he was to spend the rest of his existence as a memory in the dark tunnels, he tried to make the most out of it. Well, as most as one possibly can when constantly surrounded by enclosing walls with a slim to none chance of ever leaving. But he tried not to think of that one little detail. Padding constantly through the endless passageways, ghosts of memories hovering at the edge of his sanity, the only thing that kept him going was that little tiny ember inside of him.

Hope.

Hope that someday, somehow, he would reach the end of the never-ending path that he was walking. Hope that somebody would find him. He had almost had his chance when that gray tabby apprentice stumbled his way into the nearly forgotten memory of the ancient tribe. Fallen Leaves had begged him to not leave, to not be one of the many who had forgotten the orange and white spirit. And the cat had promised. Promised to come back and to remember.

And Fallen Leaves had trusted him.

Even now, after moons of waiting, he still held on to that slim hope that Jay's Wing/ would come and find him again. Even though deep down, he knew that it was a lost hope.

So he continued to wonder through the winding tunnels, because now that was the only thing that kept him sane. The familiar presence of the rocky walls gave him the strength to not give up and fueled that tiny shard of fire inside.

Then, she tumbled into his simple life (if you could call it that) and changed everything as he knew it. That black coat that was hardly detectable amongst the quivering shadows caused his heart to flutter and emotion to overcome him. He would never forget that fateful day in which they first truly met.

_The tunnels were shaking, something Fallen Leaves had encountered before but still a rare occurrence. The tom raced through the near blackness, paws falling into the familiar steps, towards the far side of the caverns. His transparent pelt shimmered, catching the tiny bits of light that protruded through the cracks. Debris crumbled above him but he didn't give it a single glance. He was dead now. Nothing could hurt him physically._

_He slowed his pace as he reached his destination and his green eyes widened at the sight of the closed off entrance, which had been open for moons. '_What happened?' _He thought, whipping his head around to try and find some clue. The tall roof above him trembled once more, then stilled. Loose rocks clattered to the floor but he paid no attention. _

_Suddenly, movement caught his eye. He turned to his left but saw nothing. "Hello?" he called, heart pounding. Maybe it was Jay's Wing._

_"Please," a soft voice mewed from the shadows. Two green orbs flickered and Fallen Leaves caught his breath. Those were not the blue eyes of Jay's Wing. _

_He took one cautious step forward. "Who are you?"_

_The shadows moved and a black cat stepped out. Fallen Leaves wouldn't have detected the cat if not for its eyes. "I am Hollyleaf of ThunderClan. Which StarClan warrior are you?"_

_StarClan? He knew about the ancestors of cats that roamed the skies, watched them twinkled from above. They were much younger than he was. He was countless, countless moons old. "I am not one of your StarClan warriors," he responded, dipping his head. "I am Fallen Leaves."_

_Hollyleaf tilted her head. "That is not a Clan cat name." A guarded look entered her eyes. "Who _are_ you?"_

_Fallen Leaves shook his head. "You would not have heard of me. My tale has been long erased from the minds of cats."_

_He saw her turning this over and knew she could connect the dots. She gasped. "You're dead!"_

_He nodded even though it was not a question. "I am a softpaw, one who entered these tunnels long, long ago and never made it out."_

_"Softpaw? What in StarClan is that? But wait…if you're not a StarClan warrior than that means I'm not dead." She slumped against the wall with a moan of grief. "I'm still alive."_

_Fallen Leaves snorted. "I would think you'd be happy to know that. After all, there are many exits to these tunnels. You can surely get out."_

_Hollyleaf shook her head in despair. "You don't understand. I can't go back out there. I wanted to die so that I could escape the mess I created."_

_"But you're alive," Fallen Leaves added._

_Hollyleaf closed her eyes. "Which means the only thing I did was make it worse."_

_Fallen Leaves tried to wrap his head around this. He had been dead for so long that any sign of life (which were rare) he welcomed. He could not understand why a cat would wish death upon themselves. But he was not one to judge. "Must've been a pretty bad mess if you wanted to join your StarClan."_

_Hollyleaf looked at him and his heart did a sudden flip. He had never felt such emotion before and it startled and scared him. "Why don't you leave?" she asked suddenly. "Surely if you're…dead than you can go join your ancestors."_

_Fallen Leaves felt a hard thorn of sorrow pierce his heart. He would never be able to see Broken Shadow or Stone Song again. He would never chat with his other softpaw friends. He dropped his gaze to the dark floor. "Leaving is…not an option for me."_

_Hollyleaf let out a rusty purr. "Then I guess we're both staying here."_

_And as Fallen Leaves looked into those bright green eyes of this new she-cat, he felt the little ember of hope flare into a huge, roaring fire._

Oh yes, he remembered their first encounter. And the moons that followed were the best of his very existence. The thrill as he raced her through the tunnels, the sharp way she looked at him, the soft feeling of her fur brushing against his….Hollyleaf was the companionship he had been craving ever since he had been stuck in the wretched tunnels.

Then, one night she had halted in their playing and had looked at him so intensely that he felt the air leave him.

"Fallen Leaves," she meowed. "I-I have something to tell you."

Fallen Leaves sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws. "What is it?"

Hollyleaf took a deep breath, steadying herself. Fallen Leaves knew that it wasn't going to be good. "I have to return to my Clan."

He blinked, letting the words sink in. "What? But I thought you said you could never go back up there!"

"I know," she cried, pacing before him. "But I didn't realize I would ever be needed again!" she spun around and faced him, her eyes blazing with a mixture of guilt and sorrow. "But I _have_ to return, Fallen Leaves. I know it is my duty to."

Anger and betrayal pulsed through him and he leapt to his paws. "And how do you know this is your path to follow? How do you know that this is what your ancestors want?"

Hollyleaf sighed. "It's not about them. It's about me. This is what I want, don't you see that?"

"But what about me?" he insisted. "What about what I want? Don't I get a choice too?"

She let out a hiss of exasperation. "Fallen Leaves, I know you don't want me to leave-"

"You're right, I don't want you to leave!" he shouted, lashing his tail back in forth. "I want you to stay with me! After everyone abandoned me, after being here alone for more moons than you can count, I finally have someone to share it with. Why can't you see what you mean to me? Why can't you see that you have been more than a friend to me?" He walked up to her and halted barely an inch before her. Her green eyes widened in shock.

"Why can't you see that I love you?" he whispered, staring into her eyes.

"Oh Fallen Leaves," she breathed, her heart breaking. "I want to stay but…I just can't."

"Don't you love me too? If you do then stay. Please," he begged. "Stay for me."

Hollyleaf closed her eyes and was still for a long moment. Finally, she let out a deep, shuddering breath. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be, Fallen Leaves. Just…let me go. If you love me then do that for me."

He bowed his head in defeat, realizing that nothing could make her stay. It didn't matter that she loved him because he would always come second to her life above the tunnels. She would never be truly happy with just him. "I wish things could've been different," he murmured, lifting his gaze from the floor.

Hollyleaf stared at him. "So do I. But I must do this. You understand, don't you?"

_No! _he screamed inside. _No! I love you and I never want you to go! _But he couldn't say that. He loved her too much to hold her back. "Of course I do," he answered, the words almost sticking in his throat.

"Thank you," she whispered, starting to back away. "I will miss you very much. You truly are a great friend."

Friend. That's all he ever was to her.

"Hollyleaf!" he called, making her glance back.

"Yes?"

"I will see you again, I promise," he meowed, his heart aching.

She dipped her broad head and turned away. She padded down the tunnel and then she was lost from his sight.

He crumpled to the ground, feeling as if the whole cavern was lying on his heart, crushing it. He would see her again. Somehow, someway.

He had promised.

XxXx

Fallen Leaves slashed at a Dark Forest warrior, feeling a spark of triumph when he drew a deep wound across the cat's face. It had been ages since he had fought and he never wanted to stop. His mother, Broken Shadow, fought by his side and he felt a wash of love for her. He had always known she would find him again.

After a few more vicious lashes he sent the other cat fleeing with its tail between its legs. He glanced around the clearing and saw Half Moon lashing out at any Dark Forest warrior who came to close to Jay's Wing and his patients. He felt a rush of affection towards the white she-cat who had been his friend when they were both softpaws.

"Fallen Leaves!" Broken Shadow yowled.

He turned towards her voice and saw his mother standing over a lump of dark fur. His heart stopped. It couldn't be….He raced to Broken Shadow's side and stared down into the vacant green eyes of Hollyleaf.

Bile rose in his throat and he let out an agonized groan. "No…" he pushed his muzzle into the sodden, cold fur of his beloved and shook with grief.

"She died bravely, Fallen Leaves," his mother murmured, pushing against her son for comfort.

He shuddered. "She wasn't meant to die here, Broken Shadow. I…I promised I'd see her again." His heart shattered as he stared down at his closest friend and the cat he held so dear.

"She died for her Clan and you need to honor her bravery and courage. Make sure this was not in vain," Broken Shadow instructed him gently but firmly.

Fallen Leaves bowed his head for a moment, eyes closed. The memories of their time together swam in his mind and he could just hear her. _Go and fight, mouse-brain. Make those cats pay. _

He forced open his eyes and his resolve and determination hardened. "I will make sure she died honorably." Broken Shadow nodded once and raced off to go help her mate, Stone Song, with a huge Dark Forest warrior.

Fallen Leaves glanced down one more time at Hollyleaf's still body. "I love you," he breathed. "I always have and I always will." He touched his muzzle gently to hers. "Goodbye my love."

And, turning his back on the cat that changed everything, Fallen Leaves threw himself back into the mass of fighting cats.

_I'll never forget you. I Promise. _

**And, there you have it, my first HollyXFallen story. :3 I liked it but then again, I'm biased. XD Yes, this is my own version of what exactly happened in the tunnels but I got all the correct information. I did it at the certain times that things occurred in the books and yes, Jay's Wing is obviously Jayfeather. But Fallen Leaves doesn't really know that.**

**Poor, poor Fallen Leaves….**

**Well, read and review please! I wanna know if it was good or not.**

**Thanks,**

**~Starr **


End file.
